Ameriacan Diner – Memories of Love

chrissys_stories

by chrissys_stories

Story

It’s a sunny late summer day. I sit in an american diner. True to the charm of the 60s. At each table there is a small jukebox. “3 songs for $1”. Route 66 signs, american flags and pictures of icons such as Elvis and Marilyn hang on the walls. There’s even a large chewing gum machine next to the bar. We used to come here a lot. Now it’s taken me years to set a foot over the threshold again. They used to have the best burgers and milkshakes in town. Everything here is full of memories. We used to come here when it was still a small, simple restaurant called Rosi’s. Back then, a bun with a patty and mustard was probably the closest thing to a burger. When Rosi retired, the diner moved in. That was a long time ago. But we stayed. We were regular customers from the very beginning and have eaten countless burgers here. We were proud to be one of the few who came here so often that at some point we really had tried every dish on the menu at least once. Even fries with soft ice cream. Unfortunately now, our favorite burger has disappeared from the menu, my darling. Just like you. The bench with the blue and white leather opposite me is empty. Oh, how I miss your smile.

I order a milkshake and a house burger. The house burger is now different to how it used to be. The fried egg is still on it, but the bacon has been replaced by jalapeños. The chef is kind enough to prepare the burger according to the old recipe at my request. I’m sitting at our regular table, pretty woman. I look around the diner, which is still quite empty in the early afternoon. I reminisce. 
How we used to eat here in elegant evening dress after a visit to the theater. How we turned on all the jukeboxes at the same time just before closing and danced around the diner. How I proposed to you here. How my heart was in my throat that day. How you said yes. What happiness for me. I remember all the times we kissed here. 
I don’t notice the tears running down my cheeks. The barkeeper asks me, an old man, if everything is all right. I smile. He’s too young to recognize me. I haven’t been here for so long. Didn’t want to be without you, darling.

“Shall I tell you a story?” I ask him as I walk over to the bar with my walking stick. I sit down on one of the red stools. He looks at me curiously. “I was here when you were still in diapers. Shall I tell you how I met the most beautiful woman in the world here more than a lifetime ago?” He nods and puts a new milkshake down for me. “It’s on the house,” he says. I start to tell him what it was like here a long time ago, when the place wasn’t a diner and was called Rosi’s. How I used to come here to eat after work and one day my beautiful Helga came in through this door. I tell him our life story. And as the clock strikes closing time for the place, all the guests are sitting around the bar listening to me. The barkeeper asks if I’ll come back tomorrow and continue our story. He would definitely be back. I nod. What a lovely day at the diner. You would have loved that, my darling.

© chrissys_stories 2024-06-14

Genres
Novels & Stories
Moods
Emotional, Reflektierend, Lighthearted, Sad
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